Bassinets recalled after two deaths

Published: October 6, 2008

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced one of the largest child product safety alerts in years. The deaths of two infants have prompted the recall of some 900,000 Simplicity bassinets. Six-month old Kennedy Brotherton Jones slipped between the mattress and the side railing, strangling to death.

A second infant, four-month-old Katelynn Simon, died last year after getting caught in the same type of bassinet. The two deaths have prompted retailers to recall the Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible “close sleeper” bassinets. Among the Simplicity-made models being recalled are some that carry the Graco and Disney brand names.

The danger is with Simplicity bassinets with an older design that allows you to detach the fabric to turn it from a bassinet into a co-sleeper. With a co-sleeper, you push the bassinet right up against the adult bed. The problem is it can create a dangerous opening which would actually allow a baby to slip through and become entrapped or strangle or suffocate.

Newer Simplicity bassinets have a different design that alleviates the hazard. The fabric is permanently attached to the lower metal bar in the frame—so the dangerous opening is eliminated.

The company which owns Simplicity, SFCA, has refused to cooperate with the government on a recall. But individual retailers have moved to recall them. For a complete list of these stores, go to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.

Bassinets are only covered by voluntary safety standards. And there are no safety standards to cover them at all when they’re used in co-sleeping mode.

Consumer Reports says it’s best to use a full-size crib. Tests show a good choice is the Graco Lauren Convertible Crib which costs just $150.

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